1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to vehicle-towed trailers and more particularly to trailers that are capable of being folded to occupy a reduced space.
2. Description of Related Art
Trailers are common to those having a need to transport various items such as motorcycles, recreation vehicles of various size and function, building materials, lawn equipment and watercraft for example. Trailers provide numerous advantages such as, but not limited to, creating additional space for the purpose of cargo transport, that would not easily be accommodated in the carrying capacity of commonly used vehicles, such as small to medium sized SUVs' and passenger cars, which have limited cargo area. A trailer may also be detached from the vehicle and placed into storage when not in use, allowing a more compact and efficient design of the towing vehicle.
A drawback to trailers is that they consist of one or more axles, a tongue section and typically a rectangular frame structure with decking, and the sections are generally permanently affixed together, making them notably rigid in design. Another drawback is the stowage of this rigid design, requiring a significant area to accommodate the trailer's size. Furthermore, it is often unacceptable in neighborhood covenants to store trailers in open view, forcing the owner to provide on-site storage facilities that require maintenance and expense, or off-site storage, that may not always be economical. Attempts have been made in the prior art to overcome the problematic storage and rigid design of trailers by developing collapsible or foldable designs that occupy smaller space. However, the folding trailers in prior art are not of a design sufficient to accommodate loads of considerable mass or volume. Other prior art trailers show designs of difficult operation, often requiring multiple personnel to perform the task of folding the trailer to a storable configuration, or to move the folded trailer to a storage area. Other designs sacrifice the trailer's load carrying capacity to be more readily folded and maneuvered.
Despite the advantages taught in prior art of foldable or collapsible trailers, improvements are still being sought by the general public. Accordingly, what is needed in the art is a foldable trailer that provides increased load carrying capacity but eliminates the need for additional personnel required for the folding operation. In addition, a trolley system that provides stability during the folding operation and ease of maneuverability with a reduced footprint, for the storage of the foldable trailer would be a unique and desirable feature.